The Snake Pit
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Gin was always a survivor, even after everyone thought Aizen Sosuke killed him. Still, though he lives, he suffers under a demonic master who is scheming to bring down the five great clans. When he escapes in the company of Aizen and a recently captured Kuchiki Tetsuya, can the three survive long enough to prove the existence of the Underworld Phantom Clan? Yaoi, mpreg.
1. In the Coil

**The Snake Pit**

**By Spunky0ne**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**Happy Birthday, Tetsuya!**_

**Gin was always a survivor, even after everyone thought Aizen Sosuke killed him. Still, though he lives, he suffers under a demonic master who is scheming to bring down the five great clans. When he escapes in the company of Aizen and a recently captured Kuchiki Tetsuya, can the three survive long enough to prove the existence of the Underworld Phantom Clan? Yaoi, mpreg, Non-graphic non-con, BDSM…Gin/Tetsuya, Aizen/Urahara, Byakuya/Renji**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: In the Coil**

It was the sound of a young man's pained screams that brought the silver-haired prisoner out of sleep and made him crouch near the front of the small cell he occupied. His icy blue eyes opened and fixed on the chamber outside his cell, where two of the prison guards had stripped and restrained a young looking black-haired man on an examination table. One of the men stood at the end of the table, where the prisoner's spread legs hung over. He leaned over the young man, attacking him sexually, while his comrade stood at the other end of the table, one palm on each side of the tormented man's head, flowing some kind of malevolent reiatsu into his mind.

_That's not likely to end well for him_, the silver-haired man decided, _But, he's probably better off if they kill him. That bastard, Shigeru, has treated me to that same torment. It was two days before I came out of the nightmares his reiatsu caused when he used that power on me. I don't know how strong this guy is. He's screaming a lot, but he's still moving, still struggling. I guess we'll see, won't we?_

He kept to the shadows near the front of his cell, watching intently as the two guards continued their assault, until the man between the prisoner's spread thighs was gave a dragging sigh and released into the writhing and gasping prisoner, who quivered and finally lost consciousness.

_Poor thing._

_He's still alive._

The guards callously left the black-haired man naked and restrained on the table and walked out.

_Bastards._

The man laid perfectly still, his chest raggedly heaving from the terror and pain of his ordeal. The caged man could make out before his eyes closed completely, that they looked to be a bright, gemlike sapphire color. Although his skin was bruised in more than a few places, the unbruised expanses were a light, porcelain color. His whole body looked too delicate to survive what he had just endured, with finely carved facial features, a graceful neck, shapely torso and long, slender fingers and toes.

_He seems to have some noble blood at least. Reminds me a little of Byakuya. Could this be a Kuchiki relative? Why would he be here?_

The silver-haired man heard approaching footsteps and skittered to the back of his cage, lying down on his cot to make it look as though he was still unconscious from his last ordeal. He breathed a sigh of relief that the man who walked in, although also a guard, was one of the less dastardly ones. The guard spotted the man on the examination table and sighed in annoyance.

"Damn those animals…"

He looked down at the dark-haired prisoner and shook his head.

"Well, you're alive, unfortunately for you. I suppose we'll need to find a place for you."

He turned to a schematic on the wall and nodded, then he returned to the man on the table.

"Don't resist me or I will just put you out of your misery, understand?" he warned the captive, "Just be quiet and do like you're told now."

He picked up a silver band from the implement table beside the prisoner, and placed it on the young man's wrist. Only then did he release the heavy restraints that held the man down.

"Do you think you can walk?" he asked the dark-haired man.

The prisoner started to sit up, but then quivered and gasped in distress.

"What a pain," the guard complained as he fell back on the table and stopped moving except to breathe.

But despite his obvious annoyance, the guard's hands were gentle as he wrapped a ragged yukata around the unconscious man and carried him to the silver-haired man's cell.

"This guy in here is a little creepy, but he won't hurt you, or he'll be punished in a way I know he really hates," the guard said, glaring at the silver-haired prisoner.

"Why bother talking to him, Miki?" the prisoner in the cell asked, "He's obviously not hearing you."

"I was warning you, _baka_," Miki snapped, "Stand back."

He opened the cell door, keeping his eyes fixed on the prisoner in the cell as he carried the new one through the doorway and laid him down on one side of the single cot in the cell. The silver-haired man watched closely, but warily kept his distance as the guard left the cell, then shut the cell door and looked calmly in at the two.

"Make nice now, okay? Behave and I'll see you're fed tonight. Misbehave and I'll let Shigeru and Saburo back in to entertain the two of you."

"What a nice guy," the silver-haired prisoner muttered under his breath.

The guard turned away and continued down the rows of cells, stopping to talk to some prisoners, then pausing to note where one had died. He dragged the body out and dumped it into a reiatsu dispersal unit, then pushed a button. The machine whirred and lights on it flashed. A moment later, small red points of light appeared on the dead man's body and the body slowly broke down into a little cloud of spirit particles that floated in the air and swirled before completely disappearing. The guard sighed and shook his head again, then continued on his rounds.

Within the silver-haired man's cage, the resident prisoner moved to his new cellmate's bedside and leaned over the unconscious black-haired man.

"Don't suppose this'll be easy and you'll just give me your name?" the man asked, eyeing his sapphire-eyed companion.

The dark haired man quivered and groaned incoherently, but failed to wake.

"I'm Gin," the silver-haired man offered, "I bet when you wake, you'll be surprised that I didn't die when Aizen tried to kill me."

He grinned down at the unconscious man.

"Pardon the intrusion, but you've got me curious, here."

He opened the man's yukata and bent over him, examining him carefully.

"Impressive spirit centers, I have to say. I wonder if that limiter Miki put on you is going to hold your powers back. I guess we'll see. You're very pretty too, aren't you? You're not going to like all of the company you're going to have because of that. I'd mark you up a little to make them not desire you as much, but you know, I kind of like you already. Maybe I'll just give you a few more smudges."

He dirtied the young man's face with dust and grit, then shook his head.

"You're in trouble," he snickered, "You're even cuter when you're filthy."

He continued his exploration of the unconscious man's body, pausing and laying down next to him as Miki passed by again on his rounds. When the guard was gone, he renewed his efforts with his cellmate, studying the man's left arm, then picking up the right. As he studied the right hand, he made a sound of surprise, then quickly checked the man's spirit centers again.

"You're a healer, eh? Must be a damned good one with such developed spirit centers. You're a little bit of a mystery, aren't you, my friend?"

As he reached the top of the black-haired man's shoulder, he paused again, noting what he thought was just a tattoo, but what turned out instead to be a branding of some kind.

"Itamigiri?" he read, "Kuchiki Tetsuya, _Impure_. Huh…"

He finished examining the young man's body then returned to the branding again.

"Hey, Tetsuya-san, will you tell me something?" the silver-haired man inquired, "Why'd they put you in here? You're a noble born, right?"

"Impure," he read again, "You're a mixed blood?"

He rubbed his chin and sighed.

"That makes it curious, doesn't it?" Gin mused, touching a finger to his chin thoughtfully, "I've been wondering who these guys are, and why they have us all here. See, I think something big is going on. They need a lot of power, or at least people with some power. Maybe they want to steal it somehow. I just…don't know yet."

He took a closer look at his unconscious cellmate and smiled.

"Maybe you appearing here means that we're about to find out."

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya rested quietly in his red-haired lover's arms, his dark eyes troubled as he brooded over his favored cousin's unexplained absence and the complete dearth of clues as to where the young man could be. Renji ran his rough fingers through the unhappy clan leader's silken hair and kissed his cheek soothingly, doing his best to comfort his taicho and lover.

"Come on now, you should really try to sleep," he urged the weary noble, "We're not going to find him any faster by worrying."

"But, I feel like there must be something more that I should be doing."

Renji sighed and shook his head.

"What can we do? Koji, Akio and Torio all searched everywhere that Tetsuya and ol' Fleabag usually go. You and your Ikazuchi both tried tracking them, and even with your expert skills and connection with them, you found nothing."

"None of Tetsuya's close friends have seen him anywhere," Byakuya added.

"And it doesn't help that Tetsuya's job is pretty much to be invisible," Renji complained, "I tell you, we need to do a kido version of the living world's GPS and keep it on that guy and his four footed buddy."

"I don't think this is as simple as Tetsuya hiding out," Byakuya said anxiously, "Something has happened to him."

He paused and looked up at Renji.

_I should tell him._

"What is it?" Renji asked, noting his sudden hesitation, "What're you thinking? Did you get an idea of something to do?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Byakuya answered, "It's just that, because of Tetsuya's disappearance, there is something that I was not able to tell you today."

Renji tilted his head and looked back at Byakuya questioningly.

"Renji, you remember when we went before the Kuchiki council to request their blessing to marry, and they required us to prove our commitment to the clan's needs by first producing an heir?"

"How could I forget?" Renji recalled, his cinnamon eyes softening as he recalled, "I almost passed out when you told me it was actually possible for us to have a child. The stuff you told me about the breeder males and their history in the clans had my head spinning. And Tetsuya being one of them? I just about passed out. I'll never forget all he did to give us a shot at our dream."

"Well," Byakuya said, pausing for a moment to gather himself, "I received word from Michio, our clan healer, today that he sensed the formation of a viable reiatsu in Tetsuya's body."

Renji's breath caught and his eyes rounded.

"Whoa! Does that mean that…? Are we…? Are we having a baby here?" he stammered.

Byakuya's proud eyes shone, but were at the same time, clouded with worry.

"Tetsuya is with child," he said softly, "The Kuchiki heir has been seeded."

"S-so that means that we can get married, right?" Renji asked hopefully.

Byakuya's face fell.

"Renji, you know that permission for us to marry is based on us producing an heir prior to the wedding. It is this way because we are both male, and were there not a breeder male capable of combining the strongest of our characteristics in his body, we would not be allowed to wed. There are no other known breeder males left. Tetsuya is the only one. And we are not capable of combining specific traits in a female surrogate. The makeup of the breeder males is unique. If something has happened to Tetsuya and he does not come back…"

"What?" Renji asked anxiously, "You mean, we couldn't get married then?"

"No," Byakuya said sadly, "The elders would insist on choosing a wife for me, although, they would overlook us continuing to see each other, as long as we are discreet."

"Huh…" Renji mused, his mind whirling as he tried to make sense of his lover's words, "Just like that…"

"I am sorry, Renji. Those are the rules, "And I…agreed to abide by them when I became their leader."

"Okay," Renji said, his eyes strengthening again as he absorbed the information, "it sounds like you and I need to find Tetsuya…and we need to do that right away. Cause, I don't know about you? But I am not losing the kid we made together, or the friend who made it possible for me to marry the love of my life!"

"I feel the same," Byakuya said determinedly, "The only problem is finding new places to search. If we knew where Tetsuya was when he was abducted…but we just can't pinpoint the location or the circumstances. Oddly, he left no word where he was going. And because Arashi, too, is missing, we cannot use their form of communication to find either of them."

"There's gotta be a way to figure this out," Renji said determinedly, "I don't know, maybe we just need to look at this from a different angle."

He thought for a moment, then his eyes widened and met Byakuya's, both sets of orbs radiating the same thought.

"What if he was taken because of the baby?" they said together.

"There has been no announcement," Byakuya said, rubbing his chin, "But it was announced to the elders."

"And not everyone on that council is a friend of ours," Renji said darkly, "There were a few of'em who objected, even though I proved myself according to their standards of radiant power and taicho level ability."

"I just don't know if this is some kind of attempt by one or more of them, or if this is something that includes someone outside of the clan too. Is this internal betrayal, or is it, perhaps, something more expansive?"

"How're we gonna find out?" Renji asked.

"I am going to begin by paying a visit to the home of the family members most likely to be involved. I will divine from that whether there is a need to look farther."

"So, which one do you think might be the backstabber?" the redhead inquired, "That stuck up noble princess Arisu? Or maybe that snaky guy and his nasty pop, Isas?"

Byakuya considered and his eyes darkened.

Orochi has a connection to Tetusya. You remember when I told you that the reason we all learned about Tetsuya being a natural born breeder male was that he was incarcerated in an illegal prison, years ago, and he became pregnant there?"

"Yeah, I remember you telling me that," Renji affirmed.

Tetsuya claimed that the child was his cellmate, Naoki's, however there were no records recovered to either support or subvert the claim. It was known that the guards in the prison used the prisoners for sexual purposes."

"So, you're saying the baby could have been someone else's?" Renji inquired.

"I needed someone inside the prison, so that I could plan the raid, but there weren't many choices. The person I sent to find Tetsuya's family was Orochi. He was known for being from a subfamily that looks down on nobles who mix blood with commoners. But, he had the skills for the job and I had something to hold over him to make sure that if Tetsuya and his parents were alive, they would stay that way. Tetsuya's father had already been executed by the time Orochi arrived, and his mother died of illness before she could be rescued. Orochi positioned himself near Tetsuya to watch over him, but…it is rumored that he took advantage of our incarcerated cousin, himself. And even after Tetsuya was freed, he seemed to share a troubled connection with Orochi. But, Orochi didn't want Tetsuya to die. He simply wanted to dominate him."

"Well, that sounds like a place to start looking, doesn't it?" Renji concluded.

"I believe so," Byakuya concurred.

"So, do you want me to go with you?" the redhead asked.

Byakuya gave him an amused look.

"I am going into a pit of snakes," he said blithely, "I would never do that without a trusted comrade watching my back."


	2. Monsters

**Chapter 2: Monsters**

**(Ha ha, okay, looks like this Gin/Tetsuya is morphing into a Gin/Orochi/Tetsuya threesome. Who am I to stop my muse on a rampage, right? Other pairings will remain as before. Damn! I can see this 'two snakes' thing giving this story some serious heat…Enjoy! Love to all, and I hope you are enjoying Gin's birthday month!)**

"You look…troubled, Renji, and your reiatsu has an aggressive edge," Byakuya noted as the two approached a large, well-manicured estate near Kuchiki Manor, "not that I really blame you. Orochi and Isas have much the same effect on me."

Renji nodded in affirmation.

"It's just mostly what you told me about what that bastard, Orochi, did to Tetsuya," he admitted in a low, angry tone, "Don't worry, I won't go off and hit the guy unless he insults or attacks you, but…"

Renji's breath caught slightly at the little hint of an amused smile that touched his lover's lips for a moment.

"I'm flattered at your protectiveness," Byakuya said approvingly, "for both Tetsuya and me."

"Not that you can't take care of yourself. I just don't like the guy and if he gives me a reason, I am going to deck him."

"Well, thank you for your proper attempt at restraint…and if he asks for it, then I will, as they say, _have your back _if you do strike him."

Renji gave a little, sarcastic chuckle and rubbed his hands together.

"Gotcha, Taicho."

Renji sobered as they approached the entrance to the estate and were immediately met by a pair of house guards.

"Kuchiki-sama," one of the men said, bowing his head, "we were not told you were coming. Lord Isas is not at home presently, but Master Orochi will meet with you."

They led the two inside, where Orochi met them in the expensively decorated greeting room.

"Byakuya," the subfamily heir said, frowning, "Abarai fukutaicho, why are you here?"

"I will make this short, and I expect you to answer me honestly. I will know if you are trying to deceive me."

"I don't understand," Orochi answered, his brow furrowing, "Byakuya, what is going on? You just don't walk into our house and start making demands. I want you to…"

"Tetsuya is missing," Byakuya announced, watching the other man's expression carefully.

"What did you say?"

Byakuya looked into Orochi's black eyes.

"Tetsuya is missing," he repeated solemnly, "but…I can see that you do not know anything about that."

"Of course I don't…"

"Don't waste your words on me," Byakuya warned him, "I know not to listen. Just remember this, if you do learn anything about his location or what has happened to him and you do not pass that information along to me, you will be held responsible for whatever fate befalls him and the heir he carries."

"Oh, I see," Orochi huffed, his scowl deepening, "It would be some trouble for you and your Rukongai lover if he doesn't come back with your heir, ne?"

Renji stepped forward, but froze at the touch of Byakuya's hand on his wrist.

"A man who aids and abets the abductors, and/or killers of an heir or heir's bearer is subject to a death sentence. You know that," Byakuya warned his furious cousin, "If you learn anything about where Tetsuya is or what has befallen him, you will immediately report that information directly to me at Kuchiki Manor. Do you understand?"

Orochi glared back at Byakuya wordlessly, watching as the leader turned and exited the house without looking back. He waited as Byakuya and Renji disappeared, then left the entry and walked into his home office, where he sat down at his desk and rested his chin on one hand.

"What have you gotten yourself into?" he breathed softly, "You just can't keep yourself out of trouble…can you, little slave boy?"

He sat for a time, brooding as he recalled their past history.

_It should have been easy to forget you, but it is like my father warned me. The noble blood in you makes you powerful and beautiful…and the wild Rukongai blood makes you alluring because it is forbidden fruit. It's not considered a crime anymore for me to desire you, but many still bear ill will towards the one who pollute and weaken our houses with mongrels like you._

_You are an aberration._

_You are a torment._

_You still haunt me, Tetsuya._

_In another place, another time, we would have been lovers, but this place, this time made our stars cross. And instead of love, all we know is obsession._

Orochi reached for a bottle of sake and filled the glass standing next to it. He drained it in a swallow, then filled it again and drank it only slightly more slowly. On the third glass, he took sips, thinking silently and breathing slowly.

_There are some places to look, I suppose. I can think of a few. And I have plenty of resources. Byakuya knows that. I'm sure he also knows that my obsession with Tetsuya will make me unable to help myself. He knows that I will search for Tetsuya until he is found._

_I will find him._

_Even knowing Byakuya uses me, even knowing that finding Tetsuya will not make him mine again…I have no choice._

He drained his third glass and set it roughly down on the desk. His scowl deepened as the door to his office opened, but he bit back the harsh words he'd been about to unleash on his attendant as his father followed the attendant into the room. Isas observed his son and heir for a moment, then frowned disapprovingly.

"I see you have heard," he said in a warning tone.

"Tetsuya is missing."

"It is none of our concern," Isas said sternly.

Orochi said nothing, only looking back at his elder and subfamily leader sullenly.

"If Byakuya cannot keep track of his concubine, it is not our fault," Isas went on, "and whatever fate he finds, it is not our responsibility to interfere."

"You know something," Orochi accused him.

"I do not," Isas said shortly, "I am only reminding you of the need to act as an heir of our family should. You are not a boy anymore, Orochi. You are a grown man and an heir. That refuse you used in the prison is _nothing _to you now, and you will do nothing to either harm or help him."

Without waiting for an answer, Isas turned on his heel and left the room. Orochi poured another drink and drained his glass again, swaying slightly as he set the glass down.

"M-master Orochi…" his attendant said softly.

"Leave me."

The attendant's teeth clenched and his head bowed.

"I am s-sorry, Master Orochi, I am not allowed to leave you alone," he said anxiously.

Orochi glared at him petulantly for a moment, then dropped back into his chair and nodded at the bottle.

"You can't leave me," he sighed, "but no one said that you couldn't drink with me."

"Oh…ah, no sir. If I did…"

"I won't go anywhere, Seiji," Orochi assured him, "I don't want you beaten. Father knows that. It's why he made you watch me. Fine, you don't have to drink. Just…"

"Master Orochi has too many worries," the attendant said, lowering himself to his knees in front of the heir, "Let me comfort you?"

"Hmm," Orochi said, looking down at him and touching his wavy black hair.

_When he does this, and I cannot see his face, he knows he reminds me of Tetsuya._

He spread his thighs, watching as his attendant's pale hands bared his genitals, and his warm mouth began their work. The alcohol and stimulation were almost enough to make him obedient to his father's wishes, but with an effort, he loosed his reiatsu and a single black snake slid out from one of his hands. The serpent took up a position beside him and focused its glowing red eyes on his attendant.

"Seiji," Orochi sighed, loosing himself into the man's mouth and at the same time, causing him to meet the serpent's hypnotizing gaze.

He stood and cleaned away the mess, then left his attendant under the spell of the snake as he slipped out of the house in snake form.

_Don't worry. No one will know. Not even you will know that I was gone._

Orochi closed his eyes, sensing around him carefully before choosing a direction.

_Now, which way have you gone, little slave boy?_

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya felt the close warmth of another body pressing close to his as he woke. The feeling was not the affectionate clutch of a lover, nor did it seem the possessive hold of a captor, rather this struck him as a mutually beneficial closeness, perhaps to ward off the chill that he felt around them. He kept his breathing slow and measured, and cracked his eyes open, and he found himself looking into a pair of blue eyes that his cousin and leader once warned him were the most dangerous eyes in all of Soul Society. The owner of those insidious orbs smiled at him, and Tetsuya shivered as he felt the chill around him seep into his chest.

"Ichimaru Gin?" he mused, staring, "But…aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"I think I'm more alive than you right now," Gin joked, patting Tetsuya's soft cheek and chuckling at the instant blush the move caused, "I can't use nothing but healing power in here, so I did my best to fix you up after what those animals out there did to you. Sorry about that, by the way."

Tetsuya blinked and gazed at him silently in confusion.

"Are you still a little groggy, Tetsuya-san?" Gin asked, as though asking about the weather.

"You don't sound very concerned, considering where we are and who seems to have captured us," Tetsuya observed, "But…why are you here?"

"Good question," Gin said, nodding approvingly, "So, I guess that beating you took didn't leave you too busted up to use your brain. That's good."

"But it doesn't answer my question," Tetsuya persisted, trying to sit up.

Immediately, his head started to go into a dizzying spin and he felt himself beginning to collapse again. To his surprise, he felt the silver-haired former taicho's arms anchoring him.

"What are you…?"

"Easy," Gin chided him, holding him as the dizziness slowly passed, "You're lucky to just be alive right now. You shouldn't be exerting yourself too much. And you don't want those assholes knowing you've got some strength back. They'd be more than happy to strap you down and have at you again."

He felt Tetsuya quiver and saw him swallow hard at the suggestion.

"Sorry. I suppose that's an uncomfortable subject for you. Being pretty used to abuse by now, I think it bothers me less."

"How long have you been here?" Tetsuya asked, "You were supposed to have died in the final battle in the war against Aizen. Rangiku-san retrieved your remains for burial after…"

"After Central 46 had me healed and hidden from everyone in Central 46, where that monstrous twelfth division taicho interrogated me endlessly for information I didn't have regarding the hogyoku and Aizen. They gave Ran a fake body to bury, a cheesily disguised reigai with my reiatsu. I guess she couldn't bear to look closely enough to realize, and they did fill the thing with my reiatsu to fool her."

"They faked your death," Tetsuya whispered, his heart pounding, "to interrogate you about the hogyoku and Aizen?"

"They want him dead, and they want the hogyoku," Gin explained, "They thought I must know something, though I don't know why, since if I did know something that could overcome the power he has, I certainly would have used it to kill him."

"For her," Tetsuya acknowledged, "for Rangiku, right?"

Gin gave him a surprised look.

"How do you know about that?" he asked curiously, "You make friends with her or something?"

Tetsuya took a steadying breath.

"I…found her…with your remains in her possession. She was crying. She seemed beside herself."

"Damn, I hate myself for that…but it really couldn't be helped."

"Because you hate to see her cry," Tetsuya concluded.

"You know me pretty well for someone who doesn't know me," Gin said, sitting back slightly, "You wanna tell me how you know so much, Tetsuya-san? About her? About me? You're a healer, ain'tcha?"

Tetsuya nodded.

"I am," he answered, "but I also protect Kuchiki Byakuya, my cousin and leader."

"Ah," Gin said, rubbing his chin, "that explains a lot…like how you know so much, and how you're a healer, but you have such well developed spirit centers."

He started to say more, then froze and stiffened as the outer doors to the cellblock opened and a guard entered. Gin shoved Tetsuya back down and huddled his body in front of Tetsuya's as the guard paused in front of their cell and looked in, then he scowled and went to the next cell, where a scuffle ensued and he dragged a prisoner out and tied him down to the interrogation table.

"Ya might wanna cover your ears, Tetsuya-san," Gin warned him, "and don't watch."

Tetsuya paled, but managed to keep his body calm as he covered his ears to quiet the sounds of the prisoner's screams of agony. Tears filled his eyes and his lips quivered, but to Gin's surprise, not a sound escaped him as the guard took his pleasure, then dragged the unconscious prisoner back to his cell. The two men breathed a sigh of relief as the guard left the cellblock, clanking the door shut behind him.

"Damned animals," Gin huffed in a disgusted tone.

He realized after a moment that Tetsuya hadn't answered and turned his head to find the noble looking at him curiously.

"What?"

"You protected me," Tetsuya answered, "Why?"

"I dunno," Gin mused, "We're both prisoners?"

"That's not why," Tetsuya pressed, "I know the kind of man you are."

"And you expected to be used as a shield?" Gin asked, "Cause you know that I'm a ruthless man, and a ruthless man is gonna use you, if not as a shield, then as a sword, right?"

Tetsuya started to speak, then paused and sucked in a surprised breath as Gin grinned and patted his face with a grimy, bruised hand.

"You're a pretty smart kid, Tetsuya-san," he laughed softly, "You figured out it was a compliment, cause if you were too weak, I woulda used you to save myself from that torture. Since I didn't, I was thinking you were strong enough that I could use you to help me escape. See, I'm ruthless, but I ain't stupid. If there's a gift in having had to play the part of Sou's little snaky subordinate all of that time, I did learn some serious survival skills."

"You must have to be still alive," Tetsuya commented softly.

He felt a little shiver pass through him as Gin stopped and looked more closely at him, then moved in until their faces were nearly touching and Tetsuya was blushing again.

"I would say the same about you, having survived a prison," Gin said, watching Tetsuya's strong reaction closely, "Itamigiri, was it?"

"You…?"

"I read your branding, on your shoulder," Gin confessed, "Never heard of the place."

"It was an illegal noble's prison," Tetsuya explained, "I was incarcerated there, along with my parents, back when marriage with commoners was severely punished."

"I was right," Gin observed, "You have to be strong if you survived that…or you had to have someone looking out for you."

He watched raptly as Tetsuya's face fell and his eyes grew haunted.

"Hmm," Gin mused, slipping a hand under Tetsuya's chin and raising it so their eyes met. He blinked at the curious look Tetsuya gave him, "What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking that it's odd, given what I know of you…that you are opening your eyes to look at me directly," Tetsuya confessed softly, "You are reputed to rarely show your eyes, and when you do…"

"It's dangerous," Gin chuckled, opening his eyes wider and gazing deeply into Tetsuya's widened sapphire orbs.

Tetsuya found himself unable to move, or even to breathe as Gin's face moved closer and the icy blue eyes seemed to squeeze all of the air out of his chest. Shock flooded him as the silver-haired man's lips smiled, then engaged his in a dizzyingly passionate kiss. Even more shocking was how he couldn't help but hold on more tightly to Gin and he had to fight his body as it throbbed with a desire to kiss the man back. Gin's mouth opened and his tongue stroked Tetsuya's trembling lips, then pushed slid in between them, invading his mouth and curling around his tongue. He was sure that he would lose consciousness as Gin's possessive tongue stroked his, then explored him mouth even more deeply. When the man suddenly broke away, Tetsuya simply collapsed onto the bed and Gin smiled down at him and winked.

"You like bad men, huh?" he laughed softly.

"No…"

"Liar," Gin accused him playfully, "I'd play with you some more, but we have work to do if we want to get outta here."

"I don't know how you think I can help you," Tetsuya reasoned, touching a cold hand to one flushed cheek to cool it, "I'm just as much a prisoner as you are."

"That's true, but lets just see what we have and we can figure out how it can open that locked door for us."

"I don't think that sleeping with the guards is going to get us out of here, since they can pretty much have what they want anyway," Tetsuya sighed.

"That wasn't what I was thinking," Gin snickered, "although, I bet a beauty like you could vamp one of these guys into helping us."

He shook his head at the anxious look Tetsuya gave him.

"Don't worry. Like I said, that wasn't what I was thinking. It's way too obvious. Now, tell me what innate powers you have."

Tetsuya started to object, then sucked in a surprised breath.

"Yes," Gin said approvingly, "We can't use our reiatsu based powers, but our zanpakuto powers come from our own innate abilities. The reiatsu based ones are useless while we wear these silver bands on our wrists, but we have some innate powers that the bands don't control. Me? I have my hypnotic gaze and my silver tongue."

He giggled infectiously at the flustered look Tetsuya gave him.

"You liked my tongue. I'm so flattered!" Gin gushed, making the younger man's blush return with full force, "You're so damned cute, Tetsuya-san, it's distracting!"

"I…I'm not…" Tetsuya stammered, ducking away as Gin tried to kiss him again, "Sh-shouldn't we be focusing on trying to escape?"

"I am trying to focus, but you are too _adorable_!" Gin complained, laughing.

"Gin-chan, s-stop!"

Gin paused, tilting his head at Tetsuya's exclamation.

"Gin-_chan_?" he repeated, taking hold of Tetsuya's chin and gazing down into his wide eyes, "That's a pretty affectionate name for someone you just met, isn't it?" he asked, looking amused, rather than affronted, "Are you tryin' to get me to kiss you again, Tetsu-_chan_?"

"I…no, I…!"

The two men stiffened and went silent, cringing back into the shadows of their cell as the cellblock door opened again and two guards wheeled in a heavily bound man on a gurney. Gin sucked in a stinging breath as light fell on the prisoner's face, then his blue eyes revealed a flash of hauntedness as they closed into slits again.

"Sousuke," he managed hoarsely.

"Are you all right, Gin-chan?" Tetsuya asked worriedly.

"I dunno," Gin said numbly, "All I know is that he's either gonna find a use for us, or he's gonna kill us."

"But he's restrained," Tetsuya reasoned.

"They took him outta Muken," Gin breathed in the barest whisper, "The fools don't know what they've done. There's no way he won't escape now. The question is…do we dare to help him?"


End file.
